Leeds Beckett University (LBU), formerly known as Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) and before that as Leeds Polytechnic, is a public university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has campuses in the city centre and Headingley. The university’s origins can be traced to 1824, with the foundation of the Leeds Mechanics Institute. Leeds Polytechnic was formed in 1970, and was part of the Leeds Local Education Authority until it became an independent Higher Education Corporation on 1 April 1989. In 1992, the institution gained university status. The current name was adopted in September 2014.
The annual income of the institution for 2016–17 was £221.4 million of which £3.4 million was from grants and contracts, with an expenditure of £217.1 million.
In November 2006, the university won the award for “outstanding contribution to the local community” at the annual higher education awards ceremony hosted by The Times Higher Education Supplement. It also came second in the main category, “the university of the Year”, which was won by the University of Nottingham. In this category, the university was highly commended for its “low-charging, high impact” strategy.
In June 2007, the university was recognised for its environmentally friendly attitude by being ranked number one in the UK in the Green League 2007: a ranking of sustainability in the higher education sector, compiled by People & Planet.
In June 2013, Leeds Beckett University became only the third university in the UK to achieve the Customer Service Excellence standard, a Government benchmark awarded to public sector bodies who demonstrate a commitment to driving customer-focused change within their organisation.
In 2013, the University obtained the Gold Investors in People standard, one of only a handful of higher education institutions to do so.
In January 2015, Leeds Beckett University entered Stonewall’s nationally recognised league table of gay-friendly employers at number 51 in the rankings.